Chuseok 추석

Over the past week and a half, I have been fortunate enough to get to celebrate Chuseok (추석) with my host family. Chuseok is basically Korean Thanksgiving. It is celebrated at harvest time, where the family all gets together, they do their ancestral rituals then they eat a big meal. But beyond that, there are many other traditions and things that go along with it.

The festivities began for me on Saturday. Another Fulbrighter's host mom invited us all to an event at the Children's Library. Going into it, I had no clue what was going to happen or why I was there. All I knew was I was getting to wear hanbok(한복). This is the traditional Korean clothing. I had gotten to try on some previously, during orientation, but this was completely different. The hanbok that I got to wear was my size and it had so many more components. It was beautiful. In addition to the dress and jacket part, I also had a full petticoat complete with a hoop skirt as well as pants to wear underneath everything. It was also so beautiful. I enjoyed wearing it so much. The event turned out to be an event for kids where they come and make songpyeon (송편). Songpyeon is a rice cake that is made during Chuseok. It was a lot of fun, and I got to do it with other Fulbrighters, so that is always great. There was also more to the even than just making the songpyeon. The governor of Hwacheon came and read the children a story, and then there was a magic show at the end. It was a lot of fun, even as an adult.

Sunday was filled with mostly relaxation (for me at least). My host mom was busy making all of the different dishes that they eat during Chuseok. The house smelled good all day.
Because of the holiday, I didn't have school Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. The actual day for Chuseok, however, was on Monday. That was when my host dad's parents and sisters came over to the house. They did their ancestral ritual first, at about 8:30am, then we had our big meal, at about 9:30am. I was kinda surprised how early everyone ate this huge meal.

We spent a few hours afterwards just hanging out, and then we went on this beautiful bike ride. It was so much fun. And I was surprised at how easy it was for me. When we got back to the house, the whole family ended up playing badminton in front of the house. Let's just say, I was ready for bed that night.

Tuesday was uneventful. I took a bus to Chuncheon to go shopping for some things that I needed and it was actually really nice. I was the first time that I really went somewhere and did something completely on my own. I even got to go to McDonald's. Usually, I don't eat McDonald's, even at home, but for some reason, I really wanted to go. I ended up getting some of my favourites (instead of being adventurous and trying a Korean burger) but it was what I needed. I even tried the little soft served ice cream cones for 700 won ($0.50). Wednesday was the last day of my break and it was spent well. I had previously offered to cook spaghetti for them, and they took me to the store to get the ingredients. It turned out so well. The spaghetti tasted delicious and the homemade garlic bread was a little overcooked but still good. My youngest host brother didn't even eat the spaghetti, he just ate the bread. In the end, the bowl was empty and my host family was happy. That's all I could ask for.

This holiday may be new and I still may not know what I'm supposed to do, but I enjoyed being able to have the experience.